Archive for June 5th, 2007

There are few playwrights I love as much as I adore Neil LaBute (Best known for his movie “In The Company of Men”) His plays are insightful, modern, simple, honest and funny. He takes ordinary people with ordinary flaws and ordinary lives and finds a story. His characters are perfectly three dimensional, and they do what we do, say what we say, and fail miserably as we fail miserably.

LaBute’s newest play, “In A Dark Dark House” is a story of two brothers. One of the brothers (Drew, played by Ron Livingston of “Office Space” fame!) is in a mental hospital dealing with substance abuse and possibly an earlier childhood trauma. His brother (Terry, played by Fredrick Weller) visits him in the hospital, and then visits the man who supposedly sexually abused Drew. Instead of meeting the abuser, he meets his young daughter Jennifer (Louise Krause) and enters into an inappropriate flirtation with her. Drew and Terry have to confront their pasts and their current mistakes, and find a way to accept their shared history and present relationship.

Although they play is entertaining, and balances expertly between comedy and drama, it is not LaBute’s best. While the story is interesting, and the characters complicated and believable, I wanted more to happen in the ninety minutes on stage. More problematic by far, however, was the questionable casting. Krause, playing sixteen year old Jennifer reads as a jaded twenty-something, not a naive, trouble teen. Until she pronounces her age I assumed she was a college grad. This alone drastically effects the stakes and energy in her scene with Terry. Terry (Weller) also seems out of place next to Livingston. Livingston is subtle and easy to watch, he seems to mesh well with LaBute’s casual dialogue. Next to him, Weller’s acting is too large and they seem to be in two separate shows.

In spite of the inexplicable casting and inconsistent acting, “In A Dark Dark House” is still proof of LaBute’s talent. It is not his best work, but it is a solid piece that is relateable and thoughtful. Director Carolyn Cantor does a fine job directing, the actors seem comfortable and at home on stage, their relationships are clear and the staging is expert, never awkward. Most impressive is the beautiful set design, by Beowulf Britt. the play is set outdoors in all three long scenes, and Britt’s set is sunny and dramatic, mutable and truly gorgeous. If nothing else, Britt’s set makes “In a Dark Dark House” exciting to watch, somehow managing to create a world that is both larger than life and decidedly natural. An impressive accomplishment and a good, if not fantastic, play.

In A Dark, Dark House plays at the MCC Theatre on Tues & Wed @ 7pm, Thur - Sat @ 8pm, Saturday @ 2pm, Sunday @ 3pm. It closes July 7.
Tickets available online.